Thursday, September 23, 2010

This week started off with one of my favorite dishes-tacos!! We decided to have shrimp and veggie tacos with black beans, cilantro and avocado. Since we didn't have any taco seasoning mix on hand to marinate the shrimp in, I simply mixed some paprika, garlic salt, oregano and a dash of thyme-it was yummy!

This was a simple pasta dish Nat made with broccoli rabe and potatoes. He made a fresh pesto sauce on the side, along with a steamed artichoke and roasted tomatoes.

Photo: Lisa Levine

This dish was compliments of my sister, Lisa, who is studying to be a personal chef. I feel so lucky that she likes to test out new recipes on us! This Poblano white bean chili was perfectly hearty with just a hint of heat. She paired it with chili cornbread in the background. Here is the recipe:

Rajas:Roast and peel six poblano or Anaheim peppers, slice into 1/4 in strips and set aside. Heat 2 tsp vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 large onion, sliced thin and two cloves of garlic, minced and cook 6-9 minutes or until onion is soft and golden brown. Add 1 tsp dried oregano and poblano strips and cook 3 or 4 minutes more or until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Although I consider myself a generally healthy eater, I do like some sweets every now and then. I love making this chocolate chip cookie recipe. I make half this amount, leave out the nuts and I don't miss the vanilla extract if I don't happen have it on hand. It is so simple and so yummy! Between me and Nat, an entire batch doesn't last more than a day or two!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Sunday, September 12, 2010

This week we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary, so we treated ourselves to a nice dinner out at The Upper West. Here is one of our dishes up above, Alaskan Halibut with mint-pear salsa on top of steamed pea shoots-it was delish!

Our dinners this week were inspired by what was available at the farmer's market. Lots and Lots of zucchini and squash-which I adore, and since there are so many varieties, it makes for an exciting meal every time.
Up above, we grilled some summer squash, and roasted some tomatoes, potatoes and cauliflower.

Monday, September 6, 2010

This week, little o was surely amazed at the flavorful, and colorful foods on our plates each evening. Shown up above, Nat explains to little o what we will be eating that evening. Chick peas, (pois chiches), cauliflower (chou-fleur), brussel sprouts (choux de bruxelles) and carmelized onions a top of pearled couscous.

Nat also made a delicious pasta dish with clams and spinach. He paired it with a frisee salad with figs, sauteed potatoes and a balsamic vinagrette. The figs were picked locally from our very own fig tree!

Nat and I both helped out in the kitchen on this one-shrimp tacos-yum-this is one of my all time favorite meals. I can eat tacos most nights of the week with some variety...fish, shrimp, veggie...
This one had shrimp mixed with zucchini, onions, & mushrooms in a taco seasoning sauce. On top we also added pinto beans, cilantro and shredded cabbage.

One of Nat's signature dishes is his amazing Pizza he makes from scratch. It is so fun seeing him prepare the dough, as he swirls and flings it up into the air as if we were in a pizzeria in Italy! Ahhh...someday. Each pizza has their own unique ingredients and I never know what toppings to expect until I see it piping hot right out of the oven. This one had eggplant and portobello mushrooms. I spied the eggplant earlier that day and was secretly hoping he would use it:)

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Oh little o, some days I think of how much fun it will be to put barretts and pig tails in your long hair, but for now, I am content to just be able to give your little hairs a daily brush and marvel at your little whirl each and everyday.